tailoring essays for colleges?

College Essays
1

My kid is applying to a range of schools including the most selective. Almost all of his applications have a supplementary essay. How important is it to mention something specific in the essay about the individual college?

For example if he was writing about playing tennis would he say something like “After visiting/researching AmazingU I realized I had found a place where people can freely hit balls with a racquet” (Or something more elegant)

Or is it sufficient to just tell a transformational story about tennis?

2

It depends on whether or not the prompt is asking for something specifically related to the school, like “Why are you interested in our university?” Or “Discuss your goals for the future and how this school will help you achieve them.” If it’s just asking for something you love to do or something that has changed your outlook on the world, then it can just be focused on that.